


The Smallest Cave

by eternalshiva



Series: Dragon Age: Solas x Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bears, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 07:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5239973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternalshiva/pseuds/eternalshiva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DA Fic Swap Challenge (Round 3) To think their stroll would find them in this mess... Bears, Giants, Behemoth Templars - and a tiny cave. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Smallest Cave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maizzy/gifts).



This was _different_.

Eres felt the irritation bubble in her gut, the hilt of her daggers still hot in the palm of her hands as the cowered into the depth of unknown darkness. She scrutinized Solas’s actions. He was busy raising the spell to seal them inside the cave she had spotted while they both ran from the most unusual amount of enemies. They had decided to explore the Emerald Graves a little since the last time they were both here… well, things had been _stressful_ and she hadn’t truly taken the time to really look around the area like she should have. 

“There.” Solas’s voice distracted her for a moment – the light of the shield illuminated the cave and she fidgeted, uneasy in the tightness of it. The walls were stifling, cramped – she was sure this was the smallest cave she could have found. 

“I still think we can take them.” Eres lifted her chin in defiance, trying to keep the shake from her voice as her eyes narrowed. Solas raised a brow as he turned to face her – he was almost smirking at her efforts. 

“I do not doubt your abilities or your prowess on the battlefield,” he assured her, his arms spreading wide open as though it were a peace offering. She hummed at him, considering his words. “If we had Cassandra with us, perhaps she would have been able to take care of ten bears and that large white one that stalked the hills while we ran.” He pointed out to her dismay. 

“Ten bears isn’t a challenge.” She sat down on one of the cool rocks, the dampness seeping through her leathers and almost biting into her bones. Solas laughed, softly – a chuckle that warmed her. 

“No, but the six giants and the two Red Templar Behemoths may have caused more injury than I could have handled alone.” Solas reminded her and she grimaced, her quick glance at the disfigured men patrolling the area that was littered with Red Lyrium still gave her the chills. _To think the Templars would go so far…_ Her gaze focused on the mage, his steps were long and languid and they thrilled her on a baser level. He sat next to her, conjuring a small flame in the palm of his hand to give her a little warmth and light. He was pleased with himself, she could almost feel it. 

“Fine, but I still think-“ she started, wiggling her nose in disgust.

“That I can whisk them away with my magic,” he finished her sentence – words he was becoming familiar with. “I know you think I potentially could, but I can’t.” 

“You could,” she argued stubbornly. 

“I can’t.” He countered and sighed, pointing at her hand. “I could argue that you could easily use your own little magic trap and throw them into a rift. Yours would be faster, and less bloody.” 

Eres looked down at her palm and tried to flare the anchor unsuccessfully. “There’s no rift here, I can’t make them disappear.” She stated simply, eyeing him sideways. The warm glow of the fire contoured his features and she bit her lip, thinking of kissing him. “Plus, you know more about this damned anchor than me,” she spat out, looking away.

“I know a little more but you are its master, and you know its limits – the same as I and the limitations of my magic.” 

Point made and understood. Eres growled in frustration, getting stuck in a tiny damp cold cave was not in the plans they had agreed to earlier in bed. She shivered, the dampness reminding her that she still hated the cold. Why did she want to come here again? 

“Not as cold as Haven at least,” she said while blowing the air out of her cheeks. Solas pulled her close, one arm wrapping around her shoulders with his wolf pelt and he chuckled again. 

“True,” he spoke the words quietly, his gaze meeting hers and she felt her cheeks warm under his attention. The flame grew a little brighter as they huddled close and he brushed his lips against hers intimately. “Are you warmer now?” Eres grinned, moving quick enough to surprise him as she straddled his lap, forcing him to grab her bottom to steady her while she crossed her legs behind his lower back. 

“Oh, mostly warm.” She teased, raising a brow. Solas chuckled, leaning in for a kiss that Eres had been eagerly waiting for since the beginning of this little adventure. She sighed, tasting him and a shiver crawled up her spine for a reason other than the cold. 

“Not what I imagined,” she murmured against his mouth and Solas pulled away enough to look into at her, concerned.

“Do you not want to?” She shushed him with her index finger, shaking her head. 

“That’s not what I meant. Last time we re-acquainted ourselves in the Emerald graves, I was picking bark out of my back for a month,” she chuckled when Solas looked away, a little embarrassed.

“I did not mean to cause you discomfort.” 

She laughed, kissing him. “You didn’t. I just hope I won’t be picking _rocks_ out of my back this time.” She pointed out, and Solas smirked. 

“Not if I take the brunt of it and you stay like this.” He gripped her hip with his hand and to make his point, rolled her hips against him. 

“Oh? I like where this is going.” Eres almost purred the words, enjoying this side of him as she kissed him again, this time with more purpose. Solas hummed his approval in her mouth when their tongues met, his free hand squeezing the muscles of her bottom. The action elicited a sound from her throat that he was particularly fond of. 

Suddenly, the cave filled with a green light, disrupting their embrace. Eres yelled – her hand tingling painfully as the anchor woke and sparked violently to life. 

“Shit!” She stood up quickly, tripping in her haste but Solas managed to keep her up on her feet as she gripped her hand and reached up above her as the mark ripped a rift open into the small space they occupied. 

“Eres!” Solas was shouting, the sound of the mark’s magic drowning out his voice but Eres could only focus on the pain of her hand. _Damnable magic_ , she thought – another frustrated scream tore from her throat as the split in the rift opened. Large claws gripped the sides of the tear, covered in matted fur. 

“What is that?” She watched the… _thing_ come through the tear and her eyes widened in shock. 

“Eres, you need to-“ Solas words were cut off as he saw the beast… no, the demon come through. 

“Is that a bear? A _demon_ bear?” She took another breath, her mind searching for her daggers or elixirs but she couldn’t move. The red eyes of the beast tracked her and all she could see were the claws closing in. _There’s no room_. Warning bells were screaming at her in her head – Solas was still yelling at her and he flared up with magic as it washed over her. The demon swiped at her and there was no _fucking_ room. 

“Oh Fuck!” She screamed the words at the top of her lungs, her body sitting up in her bed – sweat trickled down her brow and her voice echoed through the room in Skyhold. She let go of the sheets she was gripping in her and grabbed at her shoulder, phantom pain from the near fatal attack twitched under her skin and she hissed at the imaginary pain. Solas stirred next to her, roused form his sleep and he glared at her when she barely managed to get her panting under control. 

“Of course you’d bring in a _bear_ demon.” He sighed, annoyed. “You really need to learn to wake up when we’re in the fade walks.” 

She glared back, biting her tongue. “How as I supposed to know demon bears existed?” 

“They don’t. I’ve never seen them in the fade. They’re entirely made up from your imagination” He stretched next to her, his hand touching the lowest part of her back to comfort her. 

“How do you know? How long have you walked the fade? Have you seen everything?” She fired questions, her mind still reeling from the nightmare. 

Solas sat up, concern now marring his features as though he finally realized that Eres was truly shaken from their excursion in the fade. 

“I’ve walked it long enough to know.” He assured her but she was still very skeptical. 

“That wasn’t what we planned.” She cursed, looking at her hand, suddenly angry at the mark. 

“It certainly was not.” He agreed, kissing her temple, before pushing her back slightly so she would lay down. He watched her quietly, concern still evident. 

“I’m not going back in there.” She warned, stiff under his ministrations and Solas nodded in agreement. 

“I wouldn’t want to either,” he spoke the words softly and Eres sighed, feeling a bit silly. 

“We can still…” she suggested, rolling her hips while smiling at him when Solas let out a bark of laughter. 

“As you wish.” 


End file.
